Schools engaging with working parents - any creative ideas...?

[Pheckwittageisms]

Hi - I'd love to know if there are any (state) schools that do this well? If so, please please please tell me what they do well and how they achieve it. I'm approaching insanity with the ridiculous number of meetings/info sessions/assemblies during school time which I can't attend because it means taking a half day off to be there for 20 minutes at a time. If I was going to everything timetabled for the next 2 weeks for both children, I'd practically need a holiday from school in order to go to work. Guilt and upset children aside, there is a fundamental lack of appreciation for what it's like to try and juggle this stuff as a working parent and although I'd dearly love to be there more (and this is all positive stuff they're doing), I can't manage it on top of trying to coordinate school hols as well. now that I've had my toddler tantrumI'd like to make some positive and creative suggestions rather than just rant, so just wondered if anyone had good/creative experiences to share? Inspire me with your wisdom! Thanks so much.

Our parents evenings are informal and I'm afraid the reason we make appointments is because we'd not have the chance to talk otherwise.

If you're calling parents in to a specific timed evening and seeing them by an appointment system, that sounds as formal as it comes.

Our primary held introductory parents evenings every September. It was both a way of transmitting information, but also a means to be welcoming and to build relationships across the school community.

Different schools have differing views on the value of this (if they have ever done it at all).

It could be done by PTA too, in terms of holding some sort of welcome event. Ideally with a school rep there, to ensure information is correct and up to date.

I didn't realise when I said I'd meet someone for a cuppa and a chat it was formal ...I thought it was relaxed and friendly!

We have Parents;' Evenings just after half term in October, and again just after the half term in February / early March..

We have a 'Meet the Teacher' evening very early in the school year, when there is a brief presentation in each classroom and a chance to chat.

Towards the end of the year, the children have a transition day when they meet their new teacher, and the school has an open evening that evening, when it is normal for the 'current' class and parents to come round, say Hi and look at samples of work and displays, and for 'new' class parents and children to come and have a brief look round and chat to the teacher.

All the above are specifically 'working parent' friendly in terms of timings.

There is also a 1:1 meeting between old and new class teachers at the end of the summer term.

For those who can't attend during 9-5, there are just as many parents who work shift work or have child care issues and can't attend after school. Things are spread out, so you aren't expected to attend everything, just what you can. Some things are not able to be moved - you simply can't have an assembly outside of school hours, a whole school isn't going to hang around because you won't take an hour off work to see little Johnny get an award. I do like the videoing option that was mentioned earlier in the thread, and I'm going to suggest that tomorrow to our school. We have a good IT department, and we already video any information nights/meetings, so it shouldn't be any more work to add this to the parent portal.

Please remember that if you expect parent teacher interviews in the evening, if you're meeting the teacher at 8pm, they've been working for twelve hours (often without a break). In my own case, I'm also paying $100 for a babysitter for the privilege of attending. This year I'm offering Skype interviews for the first time. I'll be able to do them from home, and we can fit the session in at a mutally agreeable time. About ten parents have booked in for a Skype appointment instead of a face to face one this year, so hopefully it's a good way forward.

I work shifts, and taking "an hour off" isn't doable. I work 12 hour shifts without a break.

Difference? I'm not using that as an excuse. And 12 hours shifts are par for the course.

There is ZERO provision for any after 5pm appointments for parents evening. I appreciate I can't go to all the assemblies. But parents evening is pretty crucial.

So I took a day of annual leave, my husband took an afternoon of annual leave....the teacher didn't show.

Yeah that went down like a lead balloon.

"There is ZERO provision for any after 5pm appointments for parents evening."

That is really poor. Our last appointments are at least 6.30, often 7.

Kelsoo after your 12 hour shift do you have to mark books and plan/prepare for another 3 or 4 hours?

Yes we have late appointments in the evenings too, one day up to 7.30pm. That helps.
Not showing up for the parent evening is VERY poor though.

What makes worse is receiving an email from school commenting that "you did not attend x, y or z event - this is very disappointing as we expect parents to support their children through their school career"!

Obviously we aren't going to be attending events at 9.30am or 2.30pm - we're both at work!

MrZ generally I come home and sit down for the first time, eat for the first time and sort out any cuts and bruises before going back the next day for another 12 hours.

Teachers don't have the monopoly on long hours, out of hours work or crappy conditions. By a long shot

Teachers don't have the monopoly on long hours, out of hours work or crappy conditions. By a long shot

No one has said that teachers have a monopoly on long hours, but there is a culture of expectation on the ownership of their time. If someone needed to see their doctor, or a solicitor, or attend an appointment with their bank, then they take the time off work to be there during working hours, but when it comes to teachers, parents have no problem expecting them to sit around for several hours after their required working hours and then get offended if you say you can't. Often followed by the phrase 'I pay your wage ya know'.

Midnight - I'm aware of that. But MrZ implied otherwise.

Look at nursery, support workers, doctors... We don't get to just leave either.

www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/datablog/2016/mar/22/60-hour-weeks-and-unrealistic-targets-teachers-working-lives-uncovered?CMP=share_btn_tw

No I said that teachers don't stop working when they leave school so if they get home from parents evening at 9pm they still have hours of work which doesn't leave them fresh to teach your child the next day!

I love my kids' school but it has very little provision for working parents. We definitely seem to be in the minority, although almost all the 90% female staff are parents, so I am sure they must understand.

Latest parent's evening slot is 5.30. After school club finishes at 4.30. I don't expect them to bend over backwards to fit around my job, but I do wish they would give notice for events and opportunities to support our children. I see education as a shared respinsibility between me as a parent and the school. If they gave us notice, we could be much more part of it. I am lucky that my work is flexible enough that i could usually get there given enough warning.
Now that my eldest has been at the school a few years I have pretty much worked out the calendar, which never seems to change ever, and yet they often only give a few days' notice. I bet in reality they could write a calendar now for most of next year. I could probably write it myself. I can see what others are saying about receiving loads of emails. I don't think our school knows email exists!
I know other schools that release an annual calendar and others that send home a weekly newsletter. Either of these would be great and preferably both!

I have recently gone full time and I really miss all the school events. I have the same problems as you, OP, but we are a tight-knit community (despite living in a city), so at weekends I always meet DS's form teacher at various places. She always very kindly tells me stuff, but I never ask questions. She needs some downtime.

The school never gives enough warning for any event for parents or children, especially as the out of school club needs booking weeks before the term starts, but I have given up complaining. I just try to support them as much as I can. I went in to the school a few days ago, within minutes I was moving around chairs and tables and doing the washing-up before the school bingo.

Our school has an improving website with more and more info on it. An active Facebook page for parent info - only open for parents. Also active PTA. The events are always jam-packed. You can hardly fit in.